Improvement in apparatus for condensing coal-oil



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

JOHN F. BENNETT, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

lMPRovEMENT IN APPARTUS FOR CONDENSING COAL-ou..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 28,34 l, dated May 22,19,60.

To a/ZZ wibo/1t t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. BENNETT, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Apparatus for Oondensing Oils from Coal and otherOleiferous Substances; and I do herebydeelare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof. reference being had to theannexed drawing, forming part of this specication, which is aperspective View of the apparatusemployed by mein my process, theconstruction and arrangement of which form the subject-matter of anotherapplication for a patent.

My improvement consists in the use of an apparatus, such as ishereinafter described, when combined with a coal-oil retort, forcondensing and separating the oleaginous vapors as they pass from theretort in which they are generated, by which, instead of allowing allthe vapor to condense into a crude oil and then subjecting this crudeoil to a refining process or processes to separate the various grades ofoils from each other, or to separate the other substances-sueh asbenzole, parat'- iine, dic-from the oils, I subject the vapor itself, asit arises from the retort or generator,

to a gradual and varying process of condensation, by means of which thevarious kinds of oils are separated from cach other, and the otherproducts of distillation separated from the oils without a subsequentrefining process, thus, in effect, combining in one the process ofcondensing and separating the products of distillation. It has beenattempted to accomplish this separation of the different kinds of oilsbefore the condensation of the oleaginous vapor by drawing off the vaporat different parts of the retort or generator, or at different stages inthe process of distilla` tion, and collecting them in distinctreceptacles and condensing them separately. This, however, onlypartially and very imperfectl y accomplishes the result aimed at.

In order to enable others skilled in the y art to make and use myimprovement, I will proceed to describe the construction of theapparatus employed and the mode of using the same.

In the drawing, c is the main or pipe through which the oleaginous vaporpasses as it leaves the retort or generator. This pipe should in` elineslightly downward toward the prime condenser A, so that any condensedmatter may iiow into it, rather than return to the retort. The pipe aopens downward into the prime condenser A, which is a cylindricalmetallic vessel placed near to the generator or retort. At one end ofthe prime condenser is a large goose-neck, b, which serves as thedischarge-pipe for the pitchy matter and heavy oils, which are therecollected. Into this prime conductor a stream of steam at 2120Fahrenheit is introduced by a steam-pipe, c, from a boiler convenientlysituated for that purpose. Adjoining the prime condenser is a secondcondenser, B, similarV to A, but immersed in a trough of water, O. Apipe', d. conducts the oleaginous vapor not condensed in the primecondenser intothe second condenser, B, which is furnished with agooseneck, e, of smaller caliber than the gooseneck of the primecondenser, and through which the oils condensed in the secondcondenserarc discharged into the receptacle placed to receive them. The -water inthe trough O surrounding the second condenser is supplied from theadjoining trough of the third condenser by the spoutj", and overflowsthrough the spout g, which is situate at such a height as to keep thecondenser B covered with water. The third condenser, D, similarlyconstructed to the condenser B, is also immersed in a trough of water,E, and is fastened with a goose-neck, 71, similar to c, which dischargesthe condensed liquid products of the third condenser. A pipe, fi,connects the second condenser, l, with the third condenser, I), andallows the oleaginous vapor unconA densed in the second condenser topass into the third condenser.

At the end ofthe third condenser, D,`.oppo. site to that at which thepipe 'i enters it, there isa smaller pipe, k, through which thehighlyvolatile vapor yet remaining uncondensed passes to the worm fw,which is coiled in the ref rigerating-cistern I ,which is supplied withcold water through the conduit Z. The water in the cistern F ovcrliowsthrough the spout n1y into thetrough E of the third condenser, D. Theworm fw terminates in the air-pipep, which is connected with an air-pumpor reverse-action double-blowing cylinder, The gooseneck u is attachedto and opens into the lowest point ofthe pipe p, at the end of the worinw, and through it all the remaining products of distillation (beingchieiy benzole and naphtha) are discharged into a suitable receptacle.

The air-pump is designed to create a partial vacuum through thecondensers, and operates vwith a force of from two kto ve pounds persquare foot.

I will now proceed to describe more particularly my improved process.The oleaginous vapor, which is generated in the retort by thedistillation of coal, shale, or other bituminous or oleiferoussubstances, passes through the pipe or main A, and is usually at atemperature of Wabout 65.0 Fahrenheit. In passing through the pipe it issomewhat cooled, and any of the heaviest products which may be condensedin the main run in a fluid state into the prime condenser B, the passageof the oleaginous vapor from the retort and through the condensers beingexpedited and kept up by the action of the air -pump or blower, whichserves the further purpose of preventing the escape of any vapor or gasthrough any crack or aperture which may exist in the apparatus, makingthe leak, if any, inward, and not outward. On entering the primecondenser the oleaginous vapor meets with a stream of steam from thepipe, which, being at 212 Fahrenheit, reduces the `temperature of theheated oleaginous vapors in the prime condenser to about 350oFahrenheit, at which point the heavy oils and pitchy matter. aredeposited, allowing the oleaginous vapor, then freed of its heaviest andmost easilycondensable particles, to pass off into the second condenser,the heavy oils and pitchy matter deposited in the prime condenser{iowing off' through the gooseneck b. The oleaginous vapor, at about 350Fahrenheit, passes through the pipe d into the second condenser, whichis surrounded with water heated to about 200 Fahrenheit, (by the vaporin the second condenser having been before partially heated in thetrough E, from which it fiows, as before stated.) In this secondcondenser the temperature of the oleaginous vapor is reduced about 150,and is thereby made to def posit the parrafine-oils, which name I use todesignate an oil heavier than the burning-oils resembling the binnacleoil,77 and containing paraffine. The oleaginous vapor, now reducedtoabout 200 Fahrenheit, passes through the pipe z' into the 'thirdcondenser, which is surrounded with cold water which runs from thecistern F, and which keeps the temperature of the third condenser downto about 100 Fahrenheit. As vthe temperature of the oleaginous vapor isbeing reduced in this third condenser from 200 to 100 Fahrenheit itdeposits the lighter kind of oil,called burning-oil,77 which forms thelargest product of the distillation. The remaining vapors which will notcondense in the third condenser are drawn off through the pipe k intothe worm lw in the refrigerating-cistern F, where they are still furthercondensed,yielding the highly volatile oils and naphtha and benzole,which have a peculiar and very strong smell. Then it will be seen that Iam enabled to procure the different kinds of oils separate from eachother, separating them during and by means of the process ofcondensation, thus saving a great deal of time and an expensive process,which is necessary where the liquid products of distillation are, as isusual in other processes, collected together in the first instance inone crude oil, requiring separation before it can be used forilluminating purposes.

In the use of the process hereinbefore described I do not desire toconfine myself to the use of the precise apparatus hereinbeforcdescribed, as this may be modified to suit the convenience of themanufacturers, or the nature of the volatile products of distillation,the apparatus described being designed to furnish a convenient mode ofcarrying my improved process into practical operation.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

Subj ecting the volatile products of the distillation of coal (composedof a mixture of varions substances inthe form of vapor) directly as itpasses from the retort or prime generator to graduallydiminishingdegrees of heat in a succession of condensers, for the purpose ofseparating by one operation each of these several different substancesfrom the other substances with which it is mixed when in the form ofvapor, at the particular degree ol'

